Serendipity
by Lyraeon
Summary: Gary confronts Misty about how much time she spends in Pallet Town while Ash is gone.


**A/N: **Long story short, I did this challenge day last week where I had half an hour to write 1000 words on a prompt sent at the beginning of the challenge. It was intended to be both a writing speed exercise, and an attempt to knock me back into writing porn properly. The second part failed, but a couple of the stories turned out pretty good anyway. (Still posting this on my adult account because there's a chance I'll add to it later, but don't hold your breath.)  
_As a side note, I did not ship these two prior to this prompt. Now, this is part of my primary headcanon. Congratulations, requesting anon, wherever and whoever you may be._

* * *

**Prompt:** Egoshipping; "serendipity"

Gary had jokingly referred to her as "Ashy-boy's little girlfriend", first mentally and then to her face, ever since he first met her. That was several years ago by now, but he still remembered the way she'd followed him around, and the way she'd fought Ash's battles for him. Proverbially, at least. Any time he'd thrown an insult Ash's way, she'd intercepted it, bitching him out on the younger trainer's behalf.

By now, she came to Pallet more often than Ash did. Delia had gone so far as to buy a roll out bed for her to sleep on. Brock slept on the couch on the occasions he came to visit, so it hadn't taken long to figure out who it was actually for. One of them, be it Ash's mom or Misty herself, felt weird about her sleeping in Ash's bed, even if he was across an ocean by now.

Gary had matured enough to no longer dismiss her purely on basis of her apparently being love-struck by his ex-rival. He didn't think of her as a friend, the way he did Tracey and maybe even Brock by now, but he'd spoken with her enough to know her name and why she was taking such frequent vacations.

Misty was the Gym Leader in Cerulean City. Well, one of them, officially speaking, but he knew from experience that her sisters weren't worthy of the title. Between the stress of dealing with them and actual Gym duties, though, she was more than happy to leave them in charge one weekend a month and take a vacation. That was the theory, at least.

"So why do you spend so much time out here? You know Ash isn't here."

She was sitting in his own back yard, watching the ever-present herd of Tauros wander around the fields when he finally asked her the question that had been on his mind for years. She glanced up at him, looking more than a little surprised by it. They had talked over dinner numerous times - Delia was practically an extension of the Oak family by now - but Ash's name had never come up before. Now that she thought about it, the avoidance seemed almost intentional. She wasn't sure she'd actually brought him up in years, either.

"Are you just going to keep coming back every month until you see him again?"

"He's not the only friend I have here," she defended, finally frowning. "Tracey and I traveled together too, and Delia's a nice lady." She didn't say "like a mom to me", even though the thought crossed her mind and caused a tightness in her chest.

"You really like him that much?"

She stood up, scowling at him. Alarm crossed her face a second later when she noticed that, for the first time she could remember, she was having to look up to glare at the young researcher, instead of down like she was accustomed back in the league.

Had they even fought with each other in all that time? It felt like so long ago that she couldn't remember, but every memory that featured them arguing also seemed to feature Ash.

"I don't have to like someone to want to spend time with them. I've had boyfriends, thank you very much, and I'm sure Ash is quite happy with… whatever girl he's prancing around with nowadays."

Misty brushed past him with a sneer, and he waited until he'd heard her bike chime from the front walk before he finally sat down and wondered why he'd even bothered to ask. The sudden anger between them felt unnatural now. Ash really was the only reason they fought, wasn't it?

Had they become friends in the mean time?

He ducked into the lab to tell his grandfather and Tracey not to wait up for him, then made the long walk down the hill to the Ketchum house. The sun had already set by the time he arrived at their door, but there was still a light on upstairs.

Gary Oak was not one to apologize easily, and he certainly wasn't going to have walked all this way for nothing. He picked up a few pebbles and pelted the window with them, surprised at how much easier it was now than it had been as a grade schooler, back when he'd woken Ash up early on Saturdays to come watch cartoons at his house.

Misty's scowl appeared through the window, and he kept throwing until she finally threw it open and shouted, "Why can't you just ring the doorbell like a normal person?!"

He shrugged. "Just let me in?"

"Why?"

"I just want to apologize."

"Then do it from there. I can hear you just fine."

"Oh come on," he sighed, crossing his arms. "I know how to climb the trellis, don't make me."

Misty's sudden smirk told him that even if Delia was still up, he no longer had a choice in the matter.

She was, of course, and so he gave her a nervous grin and wave when she leaned out the kitchen window at the sounds of sneakers scuffing up her siding. "Gary?"

"Er… Hi Ms. K?" he offered.

"Don't worry, I know how young love is," she laughed, turning his cheeks red. "Just use the door next time." She closed the window just as casually, leaving Gary wondering not for the first time what even went on in that woman's head, and realizing that it probably explained Ash's absent-mindedness as well.

He finally climbed in through Ash's window - a tighter fit than he remembered - to find Misty sitting on the corner of her roll-out, looking somewhere between amused and impressed. "You actually did it."

"Well yeah I told you I-"

"You two aren't as different as you think, you know that?" Her smile seemed a little strained at her own words, and tears started to well in the corner of her eyes.

"I know," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "But I'd like to think I'm a lot more reliable… and I don't want to just be a replacement, either," he muttered.

He wasn't sure why he was still surprised when she stood up to kiss him, but he squeezed her close just the same. "You won't be," she promised. "You aren't."


End file.
